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Sam Family History

Sam Surname Meaning

English: from a pet form of the Middle English personal name Samson. Native American (e.g. Navajo): adoption of the English personal name Sam (short form of Samuel rarely of Samson) as a surname.

Cambodian: written សម corresponding to the Khmer word meaning ‘alike similar’ and to the homonym meaning e.g. ‘attractive’. Alternatively it may be a surname of Chinese origin (compare below).

Cambodian: written សំ (also សាំ) probably of Chinese or Vietnamese origin (compare below). Vietnamese (Sầm): from the Chinese surname 岑 see Cen. It is also found among the Cham people in southern Vietnam.

Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 沈 see Shen 7: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 岑 see Cen.8: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 諶 see Chen 9: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 孫 see Sun 10: Chinese: possibly from a Cantonese form of the Chinese names 森 (meaning ‘forest’) or 琛 (meaning ‘treasure’) which are both monosyllabic personal names in Chinese.

Alternatively it may be part of any of several Chinese disyllabic personal names borne by Chinese immigrants in the US.1 West African (Ghana): Akan (Fante) name of unexplained etymology.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Sam family from?

You can see how Sam families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sam family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sam families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 101 Sam families living in London. This was about 29% of all the recorded Sam's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Sam families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sam surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Sam ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Sam. 85% of Sam women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Sam | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    85%
  • Unpaid Household Duties
    16%

What Sam family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 50,000 census records available for the last name Sam. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sam census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sam

Passenger Lists

There are 20,000 immigration records available for the last name Sam. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Sam. For the veterans among your Sam ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Sam lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Sam life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1956, and highest in 1962. The average life expectancy for Sam in 1945 was 29, and 55 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sam

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sam ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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